Empire silhouette, empire line, empire waist or just empire is a style in women’s clothing. This style revolves around the dress that has a fitted bodice ending below the bust, giving a high-waisted appearance. The rest of the dress is long and loosely fitting the body.
Originally the “empire silhouette” term came from the Great Britain in the early 20th century. It also refers to the French empire, because of Josephine de Beauharnais, Napoleon’s wife, was very influential in the fashion circles around the Europe.
An empire-waist dress doesn’t go well with all types of figure. But when it comes to covering an oversized belly the right way, it works as a great option. The empire dresses are especially flattering to pear and apple body shapes. The shape of the empire waist dress will also help you to appear taller.
In this post, we will see how you can style the empire waist dress, and look fabulous. I divided the dresses into three categories: casual, elegant and boho. I will show you the best 12 outfit ideas.
Let’s start, shall we?
Casual Empire Waist Dresses
These are the dresses that can be worn every day, with the heels or flats. They are mostly made of cotton or other flattering materials.
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This is one casual and classy outfit. Mixing this two styles is good to follow when making every outfit combination.
On the photo above, you can see the brown cardigan paired with the classic cotton-made dress with the empire waist.
It is all combined with the brown leather boots. This is a perfect combination for fall days, that you are planning to spend outside walking or drinking coffee with friends.
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Burgundy as one of the colors of the fall season, and it looks great and appropriate for every occasion.
This empire waist casual dress is great if you are on the vacation, somewhere at the beach, but it can be also a good option if you are spending the hot summer in the city.
It makes a great outfit when worn with the flip-flops or nice funky sandals.
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A great way to wear empire waist dresses is to wear them off-the-shoulders!
The beautiful mini dress, with ruffles and bell sleeves, is great for parties by the pool or for the night out by the beach. It has the A-line cut, so it will perfectly cover your belly if you need that.
Try wearing it with the high heel sandals or stilettos.
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Gingham is also one of the trends that were very big last summer. So it is not a surprise if you want to immediately buy this dress!
It is great for the various occasions, ranging from the casual city stroll to the formal dinner. For the former ones, you can pair it with the leather jacket and a pair of good thigh-high boots.
Elegant Empire Waist Dresses
Elegant dresses and gowns, that you can wear at weddings, formal events or other celebrations.
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This is great white lace dress, if you are heading to the some really formal and dress-code event. It will be great for you if you are going to some outdoor or indoor wedding too.
The lace in the empire waist part of the dress is so delicate and romantic. All you will need is a pair of silver or gold metallic stilettos. You can also go with some sandals.
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This is one nice navy blue maxi dress. It has details on the upper part of the dress which make it very elegant and interesting. It looks very formal, so you can wear it at a wedding, or some other celebration.
Pair it with the nice and classy gold or metallic sandals.
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Baby pink, also known as soft pink color, is one of the most elegant-looking colors when it comes to gowns, or dresses. All the princesses from the Disney’s movies wanted to wear pink dresses, so why wouldn’t you?
In the photo above, you can see wonderful soft pink maxi tulle dress. A perfect outfit option if you are heading to some wedding. If you don’t like the classic one, this can easily be your wedding gown.
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Red is always a good idea if you like classic colors for your dresses. This is a classy and elegant dress, with the empire waist. It is flattering to your body shape. It can look great when it is paired with the gold details, like the bracelet or sandals.
You can also soothe its elegance by wearing it with the flats.
Bohemian Empire Waist Dresses
Summer and boho dresses, perfect for every situation.
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If you like the bohemian lifestyle and you like to dress in the boho way, this is one of the dresses that you will love to wear. It is mini, and has embroidered details on the bodice. It has a peek-a-boo crochet panels throughout and the drawstring ties on the sleeve cuffs.
Wear it with the platform shoes, like in the photo above.
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This is a great boho summer dress. It is perfect for hot days, when you are not in the mood to dress anything that has even the slightest chance to make you feel warm.
It has the perfect cut and it is flowy, with the wide relaxed sleeves. If you like embroidered pieces, this dress has many ethno details embroidered on it.
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Floral print on the summer dress is something that everybody should have. Just one dress is enough for you to have the best outfit, whenever you go.
This hippie/boho dress is great for casual city walks or brunches. You can also wear it for the casual night-outs with your friends.
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This is a perfect white linen dress. It will look gorgeous on you if you are somewhere near the sea. Imagine this one and your sun-kissed skin. It will be a perfect combo, trust me.
Wear it with the nice pair of leather sandals and add a basket bag to the whole combination.
These were some of the dresses that you can wear. You can choose in which situations you will wear them, casual, elegant or maybe even while you are on your vacation.
Either way, they have multiple functions. They look gorgeous and they are flattering to the peach and apple body types. Besides, they are good when it comes to hiding your belly.
You should really consider having one in your wardrobe.
